SPOOKS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 16, 16 July 1910, Page 15

SPOOKS.

'A FAMOUS SPIBED MEDIUM ■EXPOSED. HOW PSYCHIC PHENOMENA OCCUR, Eusapla Palladino is the most talked-of spirit medium in the world to-day. Great professors have believed in her, and she has been hailed in Europe and America as the greatest spiritualistic phenomenon of the last decade. Eusapia is a coarse-looking woman of the Latin type, and when, anyone doubts her genuineness she shrieks and gets very excited. It has been often suggested that she is a "faker," and recent investigations seem to point to the allegation being well founded. New York is excited about the medium, and the recent exposure of her tactics at Columbia University is very much under discussion. UNCANNY MANIFESTATIONS. • The table on this occasion as on others rapped, rocked, tilted on two legs, on one, and left the floor completely. Under lowered lights (signalled for by five raps of the table) the curtains blew apart, a swelling appeared under the left curtain, the curtain was blown over the table; a email drum emerged from the cabinet, was balanced for a moment, advanced and retreated, and was at last lifted and deposited on to the seance table. A hand appeared against the cabinet over Eusapia's head, more bulgings of the curtain, and then seven raps, indicating the close of the seance. Eusapia then gave vent to a' violent outburst. WHAT THE DETECTIVES SAW. Whilst all these things were happening, two men were carrying out a brilliant piece of detective work. Before the seance proper opened the director proposed to test the medium's force by means of an electroscope. This apparatus was brought into the room in its papep wrappings. There was a screen covering the entrance of the two detectives, who were clothed in tightfitting black suits and blarrk stockings. They wriggled their way along the floor till they had reached their assigned positions on either side of the eeance table, under the chairs of the sitters.

One man's head was within eight inches of Eusapfa's feet throughout the seance. On either side of the medium sat a "control," on whose feet Eusapia was supposed to rest her own, in proof of the contention that she did not use her,feet to mate the table wobble.

This is what one of the detectives cays:— For a few minutes the medium kept her feet tapping on the feet of the controls. Then she placed her right foot cross-wise, so that the heel rested on the foot of one control and the toe on the foot of the other. To these men it would seem that she had both feet on theirs. Presently a foot came from beneath her dress, and it was placed under the leg of the table, which was gently chucked into the air. Then the foot withdrew and the table descended to the floor. It was repeatedly lifted after this, iand every time, whether in a partial or complete levitation, the medium's foot was used as the compelling force. At different times .throughout the seance the medium caused lappings upon the table by striding the free foot on the left leg of the table about three inches from the floor.

CLEVER WITH. iETEII FEET. Here is an account of the same detective of the cabinet after, the lights were lowered she kicked out backwards wltlx her free . foot," hitting the curtain at her back. This caused the upper part of the curtain to bulge outwardly. This was so obvious that it seemed impossible that the people above did not observe her action. Later she placed her free leg into the cabinet and. pulled out from behind the curtain a small table containing several articles. These she dashed to the floor and kicked several times, Once she balanced a table on her toe cleverly, and gave the idea that It wag floating in the air. The light permitted the detective at all times, even when dimmest, to see clearly the actions of the free foot. At no time was ihe in the slightest doubt as to the cause of any movement that occurred.